Focusing device for cameras



F r 'u i d u dum Ys 9?? @Wim-wwwa 9 9 FOCUSING DEVICE FOR CAMERAS Filed Feb. l, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 @e ff w @ff BY 25 ATTORNEY Jun@ "279 W2K@ G. Wf-HNGTQN EOGUSING DEVICE EOE CAMERAS Filed Ee'b. 1, 192e :5 sheets-sheet 2 lNvENToR 5w/mmm W willmvllil 1x u@ W/ a f MKEWW 1 4 u l ./w, H mm i E. @uw l md@ /M H H/ E H H /w m VV ATTORNEY June 7, i927.

G. WASl-HNGTON FOCUSING DEVICE FOR CAMERAS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. l, 1926 /Z/ kl/ //0d ia iii [111 waff/711714214401110 uNv NToR EOFQE as/w/yro/v ATTORNEY tofore employed. To this end the preferred i Patented June7, 1927. n

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GEORGE WSHLNGTGN, 0F BROKLYN, NEW YORK. I

FDCUSNG: DEVECE FOR CAMERAS.

Application led. 'February This invention relates generally to photographic cameras, but is more particularly designed to produce a simple apparatus for finding the`object to be photographed and accurately focusing the objective lens of a camera upon said object without the use of the ground glass or other devices hereembodiment of the invention herein shown and described comprises one or more mirror or reflecting surfaces, preferablyl applied to the faces of vglass prisms, at least one of which prisms is carriedupon a swinging support in the interior of the camera adapted to be either swung into the focal axis of the lenses or out of the iield of the lenses, and means for permitting the operator to view the object-` through said objective lens as reflected by said mirror or mir* rors when one of them is in the first above mentioned position. The best form of apparatus at present known to me embodying my invention together with certain modifications thereof, are illustrated in the accompanying three sheets'of drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is aside elevation of a camera, with parts broken away, employing only one mirror. A

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation with the back plate removed.

F ig. 3 is a detail front view, parts being .broken away.

. Fig. 4C is an enlarged detail section on line 4 of Fig. 1, showing parts in position for focusing the lenses.

t F ig. 5 isa similar section showing parts in the position assumed during exposure of the plate.

F ig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig, 7 is a detail perspective view of the glass prism and supporting members.

Fig. 8 is'an enlargedcross section on line 8 8 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 9 is a detail cross section on a plane at right angles to that on which the section shown in Fig. 8 is taken, with parts broken away. K,

Fig. 10 is a plan view of a slightly modified form of camera designed for use with rolls of photographic film.

Fig. 11 is a side elevation and partial longitudinal vertcal section on irregular line 11-11of Fig. 10, showing a modified form of finding and focusing apparatusemploying two mirrors.

i, ieee. serial no. salas.

. Fig. 12 is van enlarged detail section of the prisms and eye-pieceiens used in this modification, and

Fig. 13 is a diagram showing the loca"- tion of the focal planes of the lenses during their reflection by two mirrors in the focusing operation.

Throughout the drawings like reference characters indicate like parts. 1 represents a camera casing generally, and 1a any convenient form of back plate therefor, 2O represents a sensitized plate which may be insei-ted in the usual way. 2 is a supporting tripod, l the lenses, and 3 the bellows extension connecting the lenses with 'the interior of the camera casing. l

W hen tinding the object and focusing the lenses so as to getv a clear view of it, the

image, instead of being projected upon the usual ground glass plate at Ythe bach of the camera, is reflected upward by the film 19 of quicksilver on the back of glass prism 5 supported in the holder 9 which slips on 'to the lower end of the swinging member 6 which, is open at one side for the greater portion of its length and is pivoted at 8 toJ the nipple 'Z which also serves as the holder for a magnifying lens or eyepiece 7a. rl'he particular means here illustrated for removably supporting the prism holder 9 from the lower end of swinging member 6, comprises spring tongues Ga in the lower end of member '6, (see Figs. 8 and 9) provided with pins 6b, adapted to engage holes tlfL in the prism holder.9 when the latter is slid up into the position shown in Figs. i' and 8.

rlhe preferred means for holding the prism 5 down in operative position in the focal anis of the lenses 4fv during the focusking operation, and for swinging it quickly out of the field of the lenses i before the sensitized plate is exposed for the purpose of taking the picture is shown in Adetail in Figs. 2, 4, 5 and 6. They comprise a horizontal slide bar 10 having longitudinal slots 10d, which are engaged by guide pins 11, 11, set in the inner surface of the carrieraV casing 1, and means for sliding said bars on said pins. Said slide bar has a transverse notch, 10a engaging a pin 17 carried by member 6, and the tension spring 12 is fastened to the camera casing at one end by pin 12, and at the other end connected to til) the lug 10J on the under side of the bar 10.

spring 12 will pull it to the left, (looking at Figs. 2, 4, and 6) and then vertical slot engaging pin 17, will swingmember 6 and the prism carried by it up into the position shown in Figs. 5 and (S and out of the field of lenses 4. A pin 16 carried by bar 10, extends out through slot 16a in the camera casing 1 so that it may be grasped bythe operator and employed as a means for forcing bar 1t) to the right in the position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 (which is the left in Fig. 3), thereby swinging member G down into the vertical position shown in full lines in Figs. 2 and 3 and in broken lines in Fig. 4. lWhen this is done, the beveled projection 1()c extending laterally from a disc 18 set in the upper edge of the bar 10 is caught by the bell-crank latch 13, pivoted at 13)a to the' camera casing and normally held down in engaging position by spring 14. There is a pin or trigger 15 carried by the other arm of bell-crank latch 13 and projecting through a short slot 15n in the camera casing 1 so that when the operator pushes said pin or trigger to the left, it swings bell-crank latch 13 in a clockwise direction, (looking at Figs. 2, 4, 5 and G) and frees the latch from the beveled projection or lug 10C.

The finding and focusing operation for a camera equipped with the above described apparatus is as follows:

The parts being in the position shown in 'Figs 5 and G, the operator pushes the pin 16 to the right, (to the left in Fig. thereby moving bar 10 into the position shown in Fig. 4 and further extending spring 12, until the latch 13 drops down over projection 10c and locks the parts in that position. This operation has swung member 6 and prism 5 down into the position shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 with the prism in the focal axis of the lenses 4. The operator, on looking down through lens 7, sees an image of the object projected through lenses 4 and reflected by the mirror film 19 carried by prism 5 and can then accurately focus said -lenses 4. Then, at or before the instant of releasing the shutter of the camera (not shown), he pushes pin 15 to the left, (looking at Figs. 4, 5 and 6,-to the right in Fig. 3), thereby lifting latch 13 and freeing bar 10 so that it isquickly slid into the position shown in Fig. 5, thereby swinging member G, and prism 5 up into their horizontal vpositions shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and out of the field of lenses 4, sothat when the shutter is opened the same sharply defined picture of the object is then projected on sensitized plate and without interference from member 6 and prism holder 9.

Considering the essential elements of the above described structure it is apparent that the magnifying lens 7acorresponds to the oye-piece of a reiectingtelescope, the adjustable lenses 4 correspond to the adjustable lenses or object glass of such telescope, and that the path of the light vrays through said lenses 4 and 7LA is bent at right angles by the film of light-reflecting material 19 applied to the rear face of prism 5. The

plane of the reflecting surface so formed is,.

as shown, inclined degrees to the axes of both lenses 4 and 7a, and the cross section of said` prism 5 is preferably that of a rightangled isoceles triangle with the reflecting film 19 applied to that face which'forms the base of the isoceles triangle as shown in Fig. 8.

Among the advantages of my'invention may be mentioned the following: While the camera may be made of small size and very compact when collapsed, the telescopic finding and focusing apparatus described enables the operator to accurately focus lenses 4, without the use of any ground glass screen and instead of having to estimate the distance and then focus the lens approximately for that distance by rule, as is the case with ordinary pocket cameras. The use of the prism with the reliecting film 19 on its inclined surface produces a clear reflection of the image to the eye of the operator, there being no double reflection as is usually the case when an ordinary inclined mirnor is used for this purpose, the front surface of such mirror producing one refiection and the reiecting surface on its back another. prism 5 through which the rays of light enter being at right angles to said rays and the horizontal face through which the refiected rays pass to the eye-piece 7a being also at right angles to said reflected rays, there is no refraction of these rays either when entering or when leaving the prism. The mounting of the prism on a swinging member used 'as a part of thesfinding mechanism and movable in a plane parallel to the sensitized surface reduces the space occupied by this portion of the apparatus to the smallest possible am-ount..

Various changes evidently could be made in the details of the particular embodiments of the various sub-combinations herein illustrated and described without departing from the principle of the invention so far as the general method of operation and cooperation herein indicated is preserved.

Any desired form of shutter for normally preventing the light rays from reaching sensitized surface 20 may be used.l Consequently I have not herein illustrated any form of shutter. Preferably that shown' and described in my pending application Serial No. 85,129 filed of even date herewith, would be employed.

It is understood, of course, that the eyepiece lens 7a should have a focal length such that its focal plane will exactly coincide The vertical face of the lll) incense@ with the focal plane of the objective lens i, reflected from the mirror surface 19. '0f course, also, the distances from the objective lens 4 to the film or sensitized plate 20, is such that when the mirror and prism 5 are swung out of the field ot the lens, said local plane will coincide with the surface of plate 2() in the usual way.

Figs. l to'13 illustrate a slightly modified form of camera designed for use with rolls of photographic hlm and having a second reflecting prism so placed that the line ot sight through the eye-piece lens in finding and focusing the camera may be horizontal instead of vertical, as is shown in the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7. ln these figures of the drawing, 100 represents the. main casing 'with a removable baclr 101, and2l is a telescoping section of the casing into which the objective lens l and the collapsible hood 3 may be folded,l 108 is one ofthe buttons by which the' taire-up spool for 'the film may be operated in the manner illustrated and described in my pending application Serial No. 85,130 filed ot' even date herewith, and 63 is a cup-shaped disc for setting and winding the shutter curtains, preferably also of the character described and'illust-rated in my said co-pending application Serial No. 85,-= 129.

ln' this modification the rays ot light entering through objective lens t are reflected upward by the hlm or Quicksilver 19 on the back of prisme but, instead ot passing onwardand upward to the eye of :the operator, they are again reected by a similar reflecting film 99 on the back o the second prism 98 in a horizontal direction to an eye-piece lens 96 set in a horizontal thimble 97 in line with the opening 27a ot the shutter casing 27, and the opening 36 in the back 101 of the main casing. The photographic film is supported and passes bctween the rear of the. shutter Ycasing 2? and the inside face olf' back 101, asexplained in my said (zo-pending application Serial No.,

Y85,130, and the swinging support 6 permits the lower prism to be swung down into the 4ilocal axis of the lensjd during the finding and focusing operation and then swung up out of the field of said lens just before the shut-ter is operated, all in the manner previously described. l

The particular modification of my invention shown in these Figso 10 to 13 inclusive, involving the use of two or more refiectors,fis notherein claimed but forms the subject mat-ter of a divisional application Serizal No. 158,862, led by me January d, 192

In this form of camera the objective lens 4 is supported by a carriage 15 which may be pulled out uponv the hinged platform 22 when a photograph is being taken, or pushed back into the telescopmgsection 21 when it is desired to close the camera by folding up the swinging platform 22 and pus-hin inward the said telescoping section. tllelescoping section 21 is revented from being pulled entirely out ot main casing 100 by the rear flange 26"` which also cooperates withl the cam-faced block carried by spring'Qfl tohold the telescoping section 21 in extended position, as shown.

ln this modification lens 96 should be such that its focal plane, as reflected by the mirror surface 99, will coincide with the local plane of the objective lens d when reflected upward by the mirror surface 19. Also the distance from the center of surface 19 to the common reflected focal planes of the two lenses, should lequal the distance from said center to the plane of the sensitized surface on which the photographic action is to take place when the shutter is opened. rthat is to say, reiterring to Fig. 13, distance Pl-l? should equalI distance P1-S, the lower prism being represented by P1, the upper prism by P2, the sensitized surface of the film by S, the objective its normal ilocal plane by FIJ Obviously the distance P2-F should equal that liz-F1,

llhe focal plane shutter mechanism (not herein illustrated) may be the same as 'that illustrated and described in my. said co-pendn ing application Serial No. 85,129, the cur-l tains forming said shutter moving in 'trent oi" the shutter retaining frame or casing 2i,

97 is/ a removable plug seated in an opening in the top of the main casing 109 in line with the swinging prism supporting member 6, which plug supports the second prism 98. rllhis plug 9'?a and prism 98 may be removedas a unit for purpose or cleani ing the prism faces. Also. it it is desired to use only a single prism, an eye-piece lens may be substituted for prism 98, as shown in Figs, l to 7.,

'lhe horizontal sliding bar 10, is operated by a spiral spring 12 (as indicated in Fig, 1l) to oscillate the swinging mem-ber 6, as previously described. y

l-laving described my invention` lrclaim:

l. ln a camera having an enclosing casing provided with suitable apertures in the walls the focal length of:

lill

lens by L, eye-piece lens by l, and

thereof, an objective lens supported in line with one oi" said apertures, and means tor supporting inside said casing a sensitized film or plate in the focal plane ot said lens, the combination, with the above recited elements, of a second lens in line with a second aperture in said casing, and reflecting apparatus located in said casing, separated from said second lens only by an open air space and so inclined and spaced apart from both said Ilenses as to cause the focal plane of light rays entering through said objective lens and reflected by said apparatus to coincide with the focal plane of said second lens at a point located in said open lair space, whereby the object to be photographed can be viewed clearly and directly during the finding and focusing operations, as through a telescope.

2. A combination such as defined in claim l in which said reflecting apparatus comprises a glass -prism of triangular cross section with a film of reflecting material applied to one face of said prism which is inclined to the focal axis of said objective lens.

3. The combination, with a structure suoli as defined in claim l, of a projecting hollow member mounted in said casing, in the free end of which member said reflecting apparatus is supported, the axis of said hollowl member being parallel with the reflected light rays.

4l. The combination with a structure such as defined in claim l, of a` hollow swinging member, one end of which is hinged lto the interior of said camera casing, while said 'reflecting apparatus is mounted near the other, free end of said member.

5. The combination, with a structure such as defined in claim l, of a swinging hollow member, one end of which is hinged to the interior of said casing, while reflecting apparatus is mounted near the other, free end thereof, a spring normally tending to swing said member into parallelism with one side of said casing, means adapted to hold said men'iber swung outwardly from said casing.

side so that said reflecting apparatus will be within the field of said objective lens, and a manually operated device for "releasing said holding means.

6. The combination, with a structure such as defined in claim 1, of a swinging hollow member, one end of which is hinged to the interior of said casing, while said reflecting apparatus is mounted near the other, free end thereof` a spring normally -tending to swing` said member into parallelism with one side of said casing, and a spring-pressed pawl adapted to hold said member in a position such that said reflecting apparatus will be in the field of said objective lens, which pawl has a projection extending through the casing, and by which projection it may bc manually controlled.

7. In a camera having a box-like casing provided with a collapsible hood extending from one face thereof, a slot in the opposite wall of said casing" and an objective lens located in the outer end of said hood, the combination with the said above recitedelements of an inclined mirror pivotally supported in the 'interior of said casing and hinged to swing in a plane parallel to said face down into line with the focal axis of the above mentioned lens, a sliding bar connected to said hinged support having a laterally extending pin passing through said slot to the`exteriorof said casing, a spring normally tending to pull said bar in a direction which will swing' said support out of the field of said lens, a spring latch for holding said'bar in the position occupied when said support is swung into the field of said lens, and means for tripping said latch projecting through said camera casing.

8. ln a focusing device for cameras, a glass prism, the cross section of which is a right-angled isoceles triangle, having a film of reflecting material on the face which forms the base of such triangle, combined with an objective lens so located that its focal axis will be perpendicular to the prism face which forms one side of said triangle, and means separated from said prism only by an open air space for conveying directly to the eye of an observer the image formed in said open space at the focal plane of said lens by light rays reflected through the third prism face.

9. In a camera having a box-like casing provided with a collapsible hood extending from one face thereof, a slot in the opposite wall of said casing and an objective lens located in the outer end of said hood, the combination with the said above recited elements of apparatus pivotally supported in the interior of said casing hinged to swing in a plane parallel to said face into an out of the field of the above mentioned lens, reflecting means supported by said pivoted apparatus adapted to cooperate with the light rays `projected through said lens, a sliding bar connected to said hinged apparatus having'a laterally extending pin passing through said slot to the exterior of said casing, a spring normally tending to pull said bar in a direction which will swing said apparatus out of the field of said lens, a spring latch for holding said bar in the posi'- tion occupied when said apparatus is swung into the field of said lens, and means for tripping said latch also projecting through said camera casing. l

l0. In a camera having an enclosing easing provided with an aperture in the front thereof, an objective lens supported in line with said aperture, a second aperture 1n the top thereof, and a second lens supported 1n line with said second aperture, the combination, with the above recited elements, of reflecting apparatus located in said casing, separated from said second lens only by an open air space and so inclined and spaced apart fronrboth said lenses as to cause the focal plane of light rays entering through said objective lens and reflected by said apparatus to coincide with the focal plane of said second lens at a point located in said openair space, whereby t'lie object to be photographed can be viewed clearly and directly during the finding and focusing operations, as through a telescope.

. iaoiun WASHINGTON. 

